Announcing MetroTex Public Education Grant Recipients

The MetroTex Association of REALTORS Charitable trust announced the grant recipients for the 2018 MetroTex Charitable Trust Public Education Grants.

MetroTex received many innovative grant submissions from area public schools, eight grants were awarded with more than $11,000.00 total distributed.  MetroTex Association of REALTORS is committed to supporting its members and the communities they serve.  To that end the MetroTex Public Education Committee receives and reviews applications for grants from public schools in North Texas and awards several grants up to $3,000 to fund tangible student-driven projects that benefit the entire student body.

The committee awarded more than $11,000 to provide grants to public schools in the MetroTex Service Area. Committee members were divided into four geographically based teams to review the applications and then to present their top two applications to the entire committee for consideration.  Read more about the history of MetroTex grants awarded to area schools. (pdf)

The grants MetroTex awards are to schools as diverse as the communities we serve.
Here is a brief overview of the grant awards for 2018.

Centerville Elementary $250.00
To enhance the schools current community garden they will add a composter to further create a rich, fertile growing space. The project will use compostable items and combine them in a composter to do that. The project will teach students about life cycles and decomposition. In addition, the grant funds will be used for a greenhouse that will allow students to start plants from seeds before a growing season begins. The students will truly be able to see how food is grown and used from start to finish.

Clara Oliver Elementary School $1,300
The school grant will be investing in new books with an aim to help students increase their vocabulary, comprehension, and reading skills. Students who are good readers are more likely to graduate high school, enter the military, go to college, or obtain employment. Students that can read become lifelong learners and have a higher self-esteem; students also become better writers as a result of increased reading. They can use the writing styles and vocabulary words that they read in books in their writing.

Gray Elementary $3,000
The school will be using their grant to purchase 14 iPods and 14 virtual reality goggles as part of a project designed to introduce students to cultures and ideologies outside of their local community that will allow them to make informed decisions about future goals for their academic and personal lives.

This project will also support the Gray Elementary Campus Improvement Plan. One of the identified needs and stated goals of the plan is to: implement the use of technology products to improve quality instruction and increase the level of rigor/engagement during learning. VR tours offer unique learning opportunities that cannot experienced through textbook instruction or online activities.

N. W. Harllee Early Childhood Center $825.00
This grant will be used to purchase additional books for the school library. School staff has noted that the community has a deficit of books in the home; a library will be used to help fill that void. By increasing the number of high quality, developmentally appropriate books available to students; they are paving their road to reading achievement. This, in turn, improves educational outcomes throughout a student’s career.

Additionally, this activity will take Self-Selection in the library to a new level. Allowing patrons to choose their own books is a critical piece in library and information science. The students on this board will be empowered as leaders and library patrons.

Beasley Elementary $400.00
This grant will be used to purchase a new camcorder, tripod and microphone to broadcast the school’s morning news show to class home rooms. The student body looks forward to seeing the news show to hear about the days special events, birthdays, behavior recognition, lunch menu and so much more. When the students hear their name being recognized on TV they get so excited. It is motivating for them to get their behavior punch cards filled up to turn in and they look forward to hearing their birthday announced on TV. Furthermore, the students enjoy seeing special visitors (such as our high school football players or cheerleaders) appear on morning announcements to encourage students to read, attend a game, and more.

Having the student leadership team in charge of announcements allows them be creative and take on additional responsibility. Over the years school staff has seen students step out of their comfort zone and step up to be a leader because they had a desire to be on the leadership team announcement crew. For younger students, it motivates them to be a leader and do a good job in all aspects of school so they can apply and be chosen as the future production crew.

For these students to be in charge of the morning announcements requires, collaboration, creativity, responsibility and knowing how to utilize the technology they have to make it the best show that they can.

Sam Rutherford Elementary School $3,000
The school grant funds will be used to provide technological tools for students to participate in design thinking like coding/programming robots, STEM resources.

Sam Rutherford Elementary is daring to innovate and views creativity as an essential skill; empowering students to change the world – starting right now. Creative thinking is as vital as math or reading or writing. There’s power in problem-solving and experimenting and taking things from questions to ideas to authentic products that you launch into the world.

Garland High School $1,000
This grant will be used to create a student run coffee shop which will benefit special education students; providing opportunities to practice vocational and functional skills such as handling money, working in a timely manner, and general preparedness for post-secondary job opportunities.

Hudson Middle School $1,500
This grant will be used to purchase wireless microphones, enabling young middle school children to be able to be heard while speaking and singing. The microphones will allow the theatre and choir programs to be able to use their current practice space instead of having to rent spaces at other campuses.